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SHOT Show 2015: Days 1 and 2 on the Floor

Since dusting off the Industry Day grit and hitting the show floor Tuesday morning, I’ve once again been overwhelmed with the amount of gear being displayed at the SHOT Show.

It doesn’t seem to be a “year of the gun” but more of a “year of the gun stuff,” as many of the firearms manufacturers seem to be circling the wagons a bit and simply giving some of their biggest hitters a facelift. That isn’t to say there weren’t a few standouts, though.

The LE6920-OEM1 and LE6920-OEM2, are stripped down to their bare bones and coupled with a sweet price.

Colt came to the show this year with a few variations of its modular LE901 series of rifles, as well as a new configuration of the trusty LE6920 AR-15 rifle. The company has offered several different versions of this gun before, including such add-ons as Magpul furniture and rails, but this one was a clear departure. Believe it or not, the two new variations, dubbed the LE6920-OEM1 and LE6920-OEM2, are stripped down to their bare bones and coupled with a sweet price of $793. It looked strange to me at first, but it quickly made sense, as most AR15 owners strip their rifles down anyway in order to replace the stock parts with their aftermarket favorites. Why throw a bunch of Colt furniture in the trash when you can just let them keep it and start from scratch right out of the box? Very smart.

The XTR line of long-range rifle scopes definitely raises the bar for Burris quality.

Burris Optics recently went through a rebranding campaign and with it has released several new optics. The XTR line of long-range rifle scopes definitely raises the bar for Burris quality and have put them into competition with veterans like Leupold and Bushnell’s Elite Tactical line. Burris' 3-15x50 illuminated model comes in at just over $1,000, and if it can perform the way precision shooters need it to, Burris will have a winner. I may have to put one to the test soon and see for myself.

Speaking of long-range precision, Magpul has released a complete stock for the Remington 700 action. Dubbed the Hunter 700, this machined polymer stock includes an aluminum bedding block and is available with a bolt-action mag well for use with box magazines. The buttstock's fully adjustable, M-LOK mounting slots on the front allow for a variety of accessories or sling points, and it requires no bedding. Retail price is $259. Compared to the competition, this one is a smoking deal. Should be available in April.

Moving away from guns and on to gear the offerings are impressive. Point Blank Enterprises, a perennial powerhouse in the body armor industry, is about to kick out a couple of cool pieces of kit. The one that caught my eye is a modular plate carrier aimed at patrol officers and first responders for active shooter situations. Designed by an active duty patrol lieutenant, this new rig is different from the competition in its ability to not only don quickly, but also split into two halves for use by two officers. The front plate is retained by the original wearer but the back plate can be quickly detached and strapped to the front of another officer in mere seconds. All the straps are wide and super intuitive, so there are no fine motor skills involved. You’re guaranteed to get it right even under stress. Now your backup is as protected as you are. Not sure about price but rumor has it they’ll be available in a few months.

That’s only the tip of the SHOT Show iceberg but I’m still here and there’ll be much more to come. Stand by for the next two days.

Weapons

Slightly more than 50% of respondents in our survey said 18-year-olds should be legally permitted to buy firearms. About 42% of respondents would like to see 21 as the minimum age for firearm purchase.

"I got involved in wound ballistics and what it really took to stop a threat during residency in Philadelphia because I had a friend on the police force who lost his job for use of excessive force by shooting somebody, I think it was, 18 times, and I always thought, maybe he needed to shoot that person 18 times to stop the threat."

Industry Day at the Range has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception last decade. The event has become something of a SHOT Show in miniature. Yesterday’s Industry Day involved more than 100 exhibitors of rifles, pistols, shotguns, gear, apparel, and even archery equipment.

During the course of the 3-hour run of scenarios in their “town”, I found the appendix style to work very well. I consistently outdrew my competitors and teammates from the seated position and even seemed to be faster than usual in the standing scenarios.

The biggest challenge for me was to narrow down those firearms and products that are applicable to law enforcement and try to keep my eye from wandering to those I think would just plain be fun to shoot!

One of my biggest frustrations is the sound intrusion that occurs because of my sunglasses when wearing earmuffs. FullPro Protective Gear has a solution called Sound Vision that eliminates this annoying problem completely.

With its Micro T-2, Aimpoint has taken a proven winner and made it even better by adding flip-up lens caps, increased protection for the windage and elevation turrets, and a new lens coating to enhance clarity.

Warrior Tech, LLC took the chamber flag concept and improved upon it greatly. The company's new SafeCycle chamber verification device is similar to a chamber plug in that it provides quick and accurate visual confirmation that the rifle's chamber is empty, but goes above and beyond that in a few ways.

Where else than an exhibition for hunting and law enforcement firearms are you going to see t-shirts asking, "Have You Hugged Your Colt Today?", exhorting you to "Buy A Gun—Annoy a Liberal,” or celebrating diversity in the form of a collage of Smith & Wessons, Glocks, and Kimbers? Hey, it gives me the warm fuzzies.

Made to fit nicely on your ankle or in your pocket. The G42 is small, but it retains all the classic Glock controls and the feel of the Austrian gunmaker’s larger pistols. When you grab it, you’ll feel the ergonomics are pure Glock.

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